Chapter 641: Back View

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Taoist masters fly through the sky and burrow into the earth, capable of taking heads from a thousand miles away. Buddhist Bodhisattvas, with lowered brows and fierce gazes, can shake Mount Kunlun with a raised hand. Who says scholars lack spirit? In a fit of rage, they can make even the emperor show a trace of sorrow. Traversing rivers, lakes, and singing, I possess a sword that makes immortals kneel. Raising a blade, a sword, and wine, three hundred thousand iron cavalry conquer the heavens. Welcome to the Feng Huo Xi Zhu Hou readers' forum.

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0 Gong Zhulu

Carrying the Heavenly Dao 15

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Carrying the Heavenly Dao 15

When Xu Fengnian and Yu Dilong returned to the Fu family's caravan, they naturally didn't receive a warm welcome. Xu Fengnian apologized a few times to Feng Qianxiang, who, seizing the opportune moment, didn't press the issue. Seasoned travelers like him understand that on the road, having more familiar faces means more options. Today someone might ask for their help, and tomorrow they might need help themselves.

The caravan continued its journey. After passing through Mazong Mountain, they followed a winding riverbed that had been dry for years. Yu Dilong held a handful of green needle grass and lespedeza in his hand, occasionally putting them into his mouth to chew out their meager juice. After becoming his disciple, this master didn't teach him any peerless martial arts, only seven breathing techniques: six exhalations and one inhalation. The master had half-jokingly said that if he diligently practiced this "clumsy method," once he reached mastery, it would be like practicing martial arts even while sleeping, and perhaps one day he could breathe out thunder. Yu Dilong simply followed the instructions; after all, besides the monotonous breathing in and out, the child had nothing else to do. Xu Fengnian, on horseback, occasionally observed Yu Dilong's breathing, but more often, his thoughts wandered far away.

The Fish Dragon Gang, besides the Fushui House spies initially lurking within it, later had the Grand Guest Official Hong Biao, who had followed Xu Fengnian from Huishan Daxueping into Beiliang, quietly join its ranks. More recently, Mi Fengjie, the obscure Cave Master of Sunken Sword, used his profound techniques to deservedly take a position as a revered elder. The female death warrior Fan Xiaochai also hid in the shadows to protect Liu Nirong, who had already been dubbed the most powerful and wealthy woman in Beiliang's jianghu. Of course, the one truly spending large sums to acquire land and mansions was Xu Fengnian himself. Xu Fengnian even moved out a dozen boxes of martial arts manuals from Tingchao Pavilion and allocated them to the Fish Dragon Gang. Although these were only second or third-rate items, they were enough to make jianghu practitioners scramble and fight to join the gang. Now, the Fish Dragon Gang truly had both reputation and substance; no one dared to call this tenth-ranked gang in the world a mere rabble anymore. Xu Fengnian didn't expect these cunning jianghu figures, who cherished their lives and reputations, to lay down their lives for Beiliang. However, with a major war imminent, Beiliang needed a stable rear. The Fish Dragon Gang, now numbering two thousand, could at the very least ensure the unwavering stability of Lingzhou, this granary.

If the Fish Dragon Gang was merely the icing on the cake, then the Fu family had been a true lifeline for Beiliang for twenty years! This family, to which Fu Zhensheng belonged, led by his seven elders (his father's generation), along with their clan members and trusted associates, had quietly traversed the lands of Beiliang's three prefectures. In previous years, their footsteps had even reached the Western Regions. With the strength of a single family, they had found eighty percent of Beiliang's mines. However, the Fu family, old and young, were puzzled: why, when most of these mines were not difficult to "open," did the Beiliang authorities merely record them, dispatch soldiers to strictly seal them off, and yet not mine them? Fu Zhensheng's father had personally discovered a massive iron mine that could yield six hundred thousand jin of refined iron annually, while the Li Yang Dynasty's total annual iron production at the end of the Yonghui era was only six million five hundred thousand jin. Fu Zhensheng's father also helped Beiliang discover a mercury source in Ganquan Commandery with an annual output of one thousand six hundred jin, nearly thirty percent of Li Yang's total. Furthermore, the three major copper production sites in Beiliang – Chengshui Field, Baoxing Field, and Jiannan Pit – were all, without exception, thanks to the efforts of the Fu family. Why did Xu Xiao personally go to pay respects at the Fu family patriarch's mourning hall? This was the reason. In the future war between Liang and Mang, what would be contested was not just the number of border soldiers. Given Beiliang's resilience and Beiliang Mang's national strength, once they clashed, both sides knew that neither could achieve the feat of crushing the opponent with a single blow. The key would be whose accumulated resources could sustain the conflict longer. It might seem that Beiliang's state-controlled salt and iron industries were completely controlled by powerful local military families, making them appear privately run and terminally ill. In reality, Li Yishan had long ago proposed that "the profits from mountains and marshes, once exploited, quickly dry up." Therefore, they had simply prohibited mining and sealed off mines, never reporting this to the imperial court. Instead, using the guise of local officials enriching themselves, various local governments had, for years, spared no expense to purchase related materials from outside Beiliang with fixed taxes. The methods were concealed, and these were small, accumulated transactions, not overly noticeable. Even if some discerning individuals in the imperial court detected clues, it was difficult to launch an inquiry. This was not only because Beiliang Dao was far from the emperor's reach, but also because in the prefectures adjacent to Beiliang's Youzhou and Lingzhou, apart from Gu Jiantang's former generals commanding military power, the local government offices, large and small, had also been thoroughly infiltrated. For the past decade or so, which official hadn't amassed great wealth during their term, gaining both a good reputation and illicit gains upon retirement? Moreover, such actions, which inherently benefited the livelihoods of the local populace, were done by everyone. The law does not punish the masses. Could the imperial court possibly impose a charge of treason and colluding with the enemy? When Xu Xiao, the Human Butcher, was alive, which civil or military official in the imperial court would dare?

The caravan slowly moved forward, facing the wind and sand.Xu Fengnian bit his lip.Xu Xiao had definitely not left his son a mess of a Beiliang.But a Beiliang mighty in arms and armor!

Xu Fengnian briefly shifted his gaze and saw Fu Zhensheng turn his horse, ride up, and then draw alongside him. Xu Fengnian looked at the young, unworldly face and felt a pang of guilt. Fu Zhensheng's father had found the gold mine west of Fengxiang Town. He had stayed put to continue exploring, sending his confidant back to Beiliang with the good news. As a result, he died at the hands of a roving band of horse bandits. Besides Fu Zhensheng's father, sixteen other Fu family members died in that battle, and their bodies have yet to be found. And Fu Zhensheng, this Lingzhou native burdened by his family, had once been brutally beaten in the alley outside his home by a group of local scions after intervening in an injustice. Yet the Fu family did not cry out for help or complain to Beiliang about this. The Fushui House spies, lurking within Lingzhou, had strict rules and would certainly not step forward forcefully on behalf of this eldest legitimate son of the Fu family's third branch. With the sandstorm raging, Fu Zhensheng had to shout, "Young Master Xu, there are still more than ninety li to Qingcang City. We plan to travel through the night and cover this distance in one go. I hope Young Master Xu can endure."

Xu Fengnian nodded without hesitation, smiling, "As a guest, I should follow the host's lead. This journey to Qingcang City with my disciple has greatly benefited from Mr. Fu's care. I hope to have the opportunity to invite you for a drink in the future." Fu Zhensheng was visibly stunned to hear the address "Mr." This was an undisputed term of respect, rarely used between peers. Furthermore, Fu Zhensheng had no hope for official renown or a career in this life, nor did he aspire to gain military merits in battle like a scholar-general who becomes a marquis. He only wished to inherit his father's dying wish and continue traversing Beiliang's mountains and rivers. He had originally thought that no outsider would ever address him as "Mr." in his lifetime. For a moment, he felt a bit shy, and a genuine smile appeared on his face. However, it was too difficult for Fu Zhensheng to engage in enthusiastic pleasantries with someone who was practically a stranger, as he was a young man who had never dabbled in the murky waters of officialdom. However, as Fu Zhensheng looked at the man's expression, he inexplicably felt a very unfamiliar sincerity. Such an expression was utterly absent from the faces of the cliquish and exclusive noble scions of Lingzhou. Those people always looked upon the Fu family's children, who lacked power and wealth, with nothing but condescending mockery and pity.

Xu Fengnian said, "Cai Anshan of Linyao and Ma Liuke of Fengxiang, those two local tyrants west of Qingcang Military Garrison, have now nominally submitted to the Liuzhou Prefectural Office. One has become the Prefect of Linyao City, and the other a Deputy General of Liuzhou. In reality, they are both under the close surveillance of the Beiliang army and dare not cause trouble. Your caravan's trip to Fengxiang should be much safer than you imagine."

Carrying the Heavenly Dao 15

Fu Zhensheng naturally had no idea that nearly a thousand iron cavalry would secretly escort his caravan. At that moment, he dared not let his guard down in the slightest and simply smiled, not wanting to openly reject the other's goodwill. After a moment of silence, Fu Zhensheng suddenly asked, "May I presumptuously ask, Young Master Xu, your qi is long and flowing, you must be a martial artist. But are you a swordsman or a blademaster?" Xu Fengnian smiled, "Initially, I practiced the saber, and later I also practiced the sword." Fu Zhensheng probably thought this distinguished young master was trying to do too much and wasn't sure how to respond. After holding it in for a long time, he could only say, "I've practiced the saber since childhood, but I've never truly mastered it. If we meet again after I return to Lingzhou, perhaps we could spar." Yu Dilong secretly bared his teeth and grinned. He thought, "This guy is really something, wanting to spar with my master?" Xu Fengnian hummed, then smiled and asked, "How come I don't see you wearing a saber?" Fu Zhensheng laughed heartily, "I'm used to using a Liang saber, but now in Beiliang, we're not allowed to carry Liang sabers privately when going out, so I could only find an ordinary short saber and put it in my satchel."

After that, Fu Zhensheng really couldn't find anything more to say and continued to lead the caravan on their journey through the night. It wasn't until late at night that the caravan finally reached outside Qingcang City. Fu Zhensheng rode up to Xu Fengnian again and said, "Young Master Xu, we won't enter the city. We'll part ways here." Xu Fengnian clasped his hands and said, "Have a safe journey." Fu Zhensheng said with some concern, "With the city gates closed at night, how will Young Master Xu enter? Although there are elite cavalry patrolling the Qingcang City area at this time, this refugee land has only just submitted to Beiliang a few days ago, and our caravan really can't spare any men..." Xu Fengnian smiled directly and said, "It's fine, I have a legitimate way to enter the city." Fu Zhensheng couldn't help but gasp in amazement and thought more highly of the man. It was well known that Beiliang's border military laws were extremely strict, incomparable to the troops within Lingzhou. Since that was the case, Fu Zhensheng wasted no more words, and they bid each other farewell.

Not long after the caravan bypassed Qingcang City, they heard an unusual sound of horse hooves. Not only was Fu Zhensheng worried, sitting high on his horse and anxiously peering, even drawing his short saber, but Zhao Jiabao and Feng Qianxiang also looked grim. Especially after an expert in the caravan listened to the ground, he said there were no fewer than thirty riders. This put the Fu family's caravan on high alert, as if facing a formidable enemy. In this land where lives were cheap, anyone who could ride a horse was usually a dangerous and troublesome desperado. In a one-on-one mounted combat, they might even rival the elite cavalry of the Beiliang border army. Although the Fu family's caravan had over a hundred people, and Zhao Jiabao and Feng Qianxiang were skilled jianghu fighters, if they had to truly fight for their lives, there was no way to avoid casualties. They feared even more attracting trouble and being targeted by a large group of horse bandits afterward. It would be hard to say how many would reach Fengxiang Military Garrison alive.

However, a Fu family rider, temporarily acting as a scout, rushed back, his face beaming with unconcealed joy. He announced loudly, "Young Master, it's a detachment of Dragon Elephant Cavalry! They are our own people from Beiliang!" Everyone felt relieved and exchanged smiles. The Dragon Elephant Army, personally led by the Young Prince, was the elite of Beiliang's iron cavalry. Last year, when they attacked the military garrisons in Beiliang Mang's Gusai Prefecture, it was like a strong man bullying a young girl.

That detachment of Dragon Elephant Cavalry stopped a hundred paces away. Only one rider, who appeared to be a standard-bearer, continued forward, dismounted, and walked quickly. This action left the Fu family's caravan bewildered. Even if this renowned Dragon Elephant Cavalry unit was patrolling outside the city at night, encountering ordinary people like them, they shouldn't need to be treated with such solemnity, should they? Although Fu Zhensheng, Zhao Jiabao, and Feng Qianxiang didn't understand the situation, they quickly dismounted to greet him. The muscular, armored standard-bearer not only wore a new style Beiliang saber at his waist but also held another one in his hand. He asked the three leading Fu family members in a deep voice, "Who is Young Master Fu Zhensheng?" Fu Zhensheng respectfully replied, "That would be me." The standard-bearer had a hideous saber scar that ran diagonally across his entire face. For the first time, he forced out a smile, strode forward, and presented the saber to Fu Zhensheng with both hands, saying, "Our Prince..." The standard-bearer quickly swallowed the second word that had almost slipped out, and said, "Our Young Master said that to thank you for this escort, he wants to give Young Master Fu this saber."

Fu Zhensheng took the new Liang saber, whose name was known to many minor generals within Lingzhou but whose form was rarely seen. The standard-bearer grinned and said, "Our Young Master says you can wear this saber without worry. It's hard to say about returning to Lingzhou, but as long as you're within Liuzhou, no one will dare to criticize you for it." Fu Zhensheng stood dumbfounded. The standard-bearer mistakenly thought the young man was timid, fearing his words wouldn't be effective, and worried he might get caught elsewhere and face trouble. He was known for his fiery temper in the Dragon Elephant Army and almost erupted, but quickly suppressed it, trying his best to maintain a "pleasant demeanor." Yet, Zhao Jiabao and Feng Qianxiang already felt a strong aura of belligerence, let alone Fu Zhensheng, who was facing the standard-bearer directly. He almost thought the standard-bearer was about to turn hostile and kill them. The thirty-plus solemn and stern elite cavalry behind him, with their armored presence gleaming in the moonlight, made the Fu family's caravan, even if confident in dealing with an equal number of horse bandits, have no confidence whatsoever in escaping a charge from this thirty-strong detachment. After delivering the saber, the standard-bearer turned and left, muttering, as if saying that this Fu fellow was too hesitant and not straightforward. Fu Zhensheng and the others couldn't hear clearly what he said next. After the standard-bearer mounted his horse, the detachment of cavalry vanished in an instant. Coming and going like the wind.

Zhao Jiabao looked at Feng Qianxiang and quietly asked, "Brother Qianxiang, doesn't that look a bit like Wang Lingbao, the 'Scarface' Deputy General of the Dragon Elephant Army?" Feng Qianxiang's mouth twitched, and he gave a dry laugh, "That can't be, can it?" After mounting his horse and hanging the Beiliang saber, Fu Zhensheng laughed, "How could it be! Uncle Zhao, Uncle Feng, let's go." Zhao Jiabao laughed self-deprecatingly, "You're right. If it truly were Wang Lingbao, the legendary 'Scarface' who supposedly twisted off the heads of seventeen Spring and Autumn generals, and known for his bad temper, we wouldn't be enough for him to handle with one hand."

In the distance, on the city wall of Qingcang City, the standard-bearer walked behind Xu Fengnian, bowed with clasped fists, and said in a deep voice, "Reporting to Your Highness, the saber has been delivered. This subordinate has also mobilized eight hundred cavalry to follow them, and more troops will gradually be added along the way. If even a single horse, let alone a person, dies from the Fu family's caravan, Your Highness may twist off Wang Lingbao's head and use it as a urinal!" Xu Fengnian nodded, muttering to himself, "It can be said that, besides you all, it is indeed the Fu family who has given Beiliang the capital to fight Beiliang Mang to the very end." Wang Lingbao raised his head and gazed at that back. Not always hunched like the Grand General in his later years. But Wang Lingbao clearly remembered that when the Grand General was in his prime, just by standing there, he seemed to support the heavens and earth! Wang Lingbao vigorously rubbed his face.

Xu Fengnian turned and asked with a smile, "Deputy General Wang, if I'm not mistaken, you joined the Beiliang army at fourteen, specifically the Vanguard Camp? You've been fighting for almost thirty years now, haven't you?" Wang Lingbao was a bit flustered, his face flushed. He stubbornly said, "Your Highness, I'm not old! Thirty years of war is nothing, I haven't fought enough!" Xu Fengnian glared. Wang Lingbao immediately shrank his neck. "Damn it," he thought, "This Prince, after all, killed Wang Xianzhi. It's not shameful for me to concede a bit, is it?" Xu Fengnian couldn't help but laugh, "You are one of the people in Liuzhou who knows the movements of that army. How about I give you a battle to fight as cover for them?" Wang Lingbao instinctively rubbed his hands, asking insatiably, "Is this battle big?" Xu Fengnian said, "Intelligence reports have definite news that Ma Liuke, the Prefect of Fengxiang City, still harbors treacherous intentions and is secretly collaborating with Beiliang Mang." Wang Lingbao's eyes widened with impatience, and he habitually cursed, "That son of a bitch Ma Liuke! His few thousand small fry aren't even enough for a random captain under my command to use as cannon fodder..." Xu Fengnian smiled, "So, are you going or not?" Wang Lingbao wiped his mouth, a "simple" smile tinged with bloodlust appearing on his face. He chuckled, "Go? Why wouldn't I go? Even a mosquito's leg is meat; you can't just let it go uneaten." Xu Fengnian waved his hand. Wang Lingbao ran all the way down the city wall. He turned his head and looked at that back again. He always felt as if the Grand General was standing there again.

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